The Lost Lestrange
by khaleesis
Summary: This is the story of the unknown daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange. FULL PLOT SUMMARY INSIDE.
1. Preface

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS JK ROWLING HAS CREATED. I ONLY CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF THE CHARACTERS OF MY OWN CREATION AND PLOTS. **

**_A/N: Wow... this is awkward. Have you ever stopped doing something for a long time and suddenly you're like 'hey, I should go do that thing I used to love doing' and then you do but you find out that you're cOMPLETELY FREAKING HORRIBLE AT IT NOW? Yeah, that's me. So here I am with a new story, begging for your forgiveness and patience because this one's going to take a while. Please enjoy, though, and remember that reviews are wonderful and help save me from grammar mistakes. _  
**

_Plot Summary: Bellatrix has besmirched the Black family name by falling pregnant in her last year at Hogwarts. Her baby has been taken away and she no longer has the ability to produce children. (I once wrote a head cannon that this is what caused her mental instability because losing a baby can have a pretty big effect on someone.) This is the story of that child._

* * *

"Mother!" Narcissa cried, running down the flights of the grand staircase to the foyer, "Mother!"

"Narcissa, are you aware of what time it is? Stop this shouting at once," Druella scolded, tying her robe shut over her nightgown, "you'll wake your father. What is it?"

"It's Bellatrix," Narcissa said, "It's time."

Realization dawned in Druella's features as she undestood, finally, what Narcissa was telling her.

"Wake the midwife," she said as she started up the stairs, "Ask what she needs and get it for her. Where is Bellatrix?"

"In her bedroom," Narcissa said before running off down the hall. Druella started down the hall in the opposite direction to the third room on the right, opening the door silently.

"How long?" she asked Andromeda, who was at Bellatrix's bedside, holding her hand.

"She started calling us in about ten minutes ago," Andromeda said. Druella moved to Bella's side, pushing her hair from her sweat-sheened face.

"Is... is he awake?" Bella asked, "does he know?"

"He isn't awake... but he will be soon."

Bella's normally sadistic and violent demeanor all but vanished at her words.

"Will I get to keep it? Will I get to keep the baby?" Bella choked, fearing she already knew the answer. Druella's expression was grave. She didn't get a chance to respond when the midwife rushed through the door with Narcissa at her heals, holding towels and a basin of warm water.

"Mother, will I get to keep the baby?" Bella asked again, breathing in sharply as the pain began again.

"I... I don't know, Bellatrix."

Bella clutched Druella's hand, along with Andromeda's, as the birthing process began, the only sounds being Bella's gasps and cries of pain and the midwife's calm instruction and encouragement. It was a long and painful process but, at last, it was over and Bella had completed the birth of her daughter. Her father, Cygnus, had been awakened and so had Rodolphus and his parents, who were staying at the Black manor due to the fact that Rodolphus and Bellatrix were to be married the following August.

The midwife wrapped the newborn in a towel. The baby had stopped crying and was cooing softly in her arms as the midwife looked around, unsure of what to do next.

"Give me my baby," Bella said hoarsely, reaching out, "I want to hold my daughter."

"She is not yours to hold," Cygnus said, stepping forward and taking the child from the midwife, who began cleaning up.

"She _is_ mine. _Give her to me_."

"Who is the father?" Cygnus asked, looking at the infant as if she would tell him.

"Rodolphus is the father," Bella said through gritted teeth, "She's our daughter."

Bella turned to her mother.

"Tell him to let me keep _my_baby."

"Regardless of whether the father is your betrothed or not, you have besmirched the, otherwise pristine, Black family name by falling pregnant during your last year of school... and a majority of it._She_ has besmirched the Black family name. A bastard child. For that, you must both be punished," Cygnus said, "My word is final."

"No... what are you going to -"

"Druella," Cygnus called.

"Mother," Bella pleaded, catching her mother's arm, "Mother, please don't."

Druella's expression was hard and cold as she stood up, taking the baby from Cygnus.

"Mother, no!" Bellatrix said, sitting up as Druella walked out the door. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and got up, against the protest of the midwife, moving to go after her mother before collapsing to the ground.

"Bella!" Narcissa cried in alarm as blood pooled gravely underneath her.

"Miss, I told you not to get up. You're still recoverin'. We need to get you to the 'ospital right away."

"Get me my baby..." Bella said from the ground.

"Miss, you need to get to St. Mungo's soon or you may never 'ave children again. Come on, now, let's get you up."

Druella could hear the echoes of the conversation as she made her way down the hall, the infant in her arms. She was almost certain her husband wanted her to kill the child but waited until he left the room to turn around.

"I want that vermin out of my sight," he hissed.

"What do you want me to do with it?"

"Toss it out in the streets of London, kill it, let it starve for all I care!"

"Cygnus, she is our granddaughter."

"And Bellatrix is our daughter but they both have soiled the family name and for that, they both must be punished."

"The father is her betrothed, Cygnus," Druella said, "At least it is our house with theirs, just as intended. I don't see how this changes anything. They were supposed to produce a child after they got married anyway."

"They are meant to produce an _heir._"

"So were we!" Druella cried, "But my father did not insist that we terminate every daughter we had."

"Yes, but my brother has had sons to be heir of the Black family."

"How do you know that Rabastan will not have a son to be the Lestrange heir? And if Bella should have children again, how are you not so sure that she will not birth an heir?"

"I don't want to hear another word about this, Druella, get that child out of my house!" Cygnus shouted before storming off to return to bed.

Druella looked down at the small, newborn in her arms.

"I can't kill you..." she said, "But you are forbidden to stay here... so what do I do with you? Leave you on someone's doorstep?"

The baby yawned and looked up at her, almost quizzically. Druella sighed and headed down the stairs and disapperating with the newborn.


	2. Chapter 1: Big News

**A/N: I'm sorry this took so very long ): I _thought_ I knew what to do for this story's future chapters but, in reality, I had to think really hard over what I was going to write and then there was the continuity that I had to be sure of. This really isn't the best but here's hoping this gets better as I go on.**

* * *

"What do you think it'll feel like?" Desdemona asked, lying on her brother's bed.

"It'll hurt," Dmitri said, "like a white hot branding iron to your arm. Like a thousand white hot branding irons to your arm… and I heard it itches like mad for days afterward."

"I bet it won't be that bad. You're just kind of a wimp."

"It probably will be and I can't see why you want one so bad." Dmitri pulled his sleeve down, as if already shielding the mark he'd yet to obtain.

It had been so long since Desdemona Dolohov had seen her brother and she'd been trying to get him to talk since he'd gotten home. He'd been avoiding the subject but she'd finally cornered him in his room. It had been almost a year and a half since Dmitri had been home, off doing Merlin knows what for their father before he was deemed ready to receive a mark of his own. All Desdemona had wanted to know was what it was like being with others who had already been marked, hardly a tough question to answer in her opinion.

"I want one because it'll mean something," Desdemona said simply.

"It'll mean you're another cog in the war machine," Dmitri said, "Hardly a place for a lady."

"You say that like I'm fragile… like some dainty porcelain doll."

"If you were a real lady, you would be," Dmitri said before Desdemona promptly punched him in the arm. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I say it because you're my sister and the battlefield is no place for women of any kind, fragile or otherwise."

"It is for one woman."

"She doesn't count, she's absolutely insane. She's also still in prison so, technically, she isn't even on the battlefield. See? No women."

"If she could before she got arrested, I can too," Desdemona said, rolling her eyes and standing from Dmitri's bed. "I've been begging mum and dad but I know they aren't even close to saying yes. They've always liked you more."

Dmitri didn't argue. This was a fight he'd never win. Ever since they were small, the favorite of their parents had always been obvious… and it wasn't Desdemona. Dmitri was the heir and she was just the second child… not to mention, she was a girl. Women never amounted to much in pureblood society. They were meant to be pretty wives while their husbands got to have all the glory.

"Can we drop the subject please?" Dmitri pleaded, "I haven't been home in so long and I'd prefer you didn't harass or guilt trip me. I'd like to enjoy my time at home."

Desdemona sighed. He'd just spent a year and a half living every question she'd asked day after day. The last thing he wanted to do was relive it on his time at home.

"Sorry," she mumbled. _Sorry I'm passionate about something._

"Miss Dolohov?" a timid voice called from the doorway. Desdemona turned, their house elf at the threshold.

"Yes, Impa?" she said impatiently, crossing her arms.

"Master and Mrs. Dolohov request your presence in the formal dining room."

Desdemona sighed, gnawing on the inside of her cheek as she tried to figure out what she could have done this time.

"We'll talk more later," Dmitri said, "You should probably see what they want. Formal dining room's a big deal."

Des gave him a half smile before turning on her heels and walking out of the room, padding down the stairs before turning the corner and stopping at the threshold of the dining room where her parents were. They were sitting at the end of the long table they had their formal dinners on, talking in hushed tones. This couldn't have been good…

Des cleared her throat, catching her parents' attention.

"Desdemona... please sit down," her mother said gesturing to the chair across from her.

Des hesitated before entering the dining room and sitting down next to her father and across from her mother.

"What's this about?" she asked tentatively, looking back and forth between her parents.

"We've got something to discuss with you," Mr. Dolohov said.

"Pertaining to…"

"The Dark Lord."

Desdemona went quiet. She never thought this conversation would come. She figured that Death Eater business was more for the men than the women, who were meant to stay home and throw dinner parties and be pretty housewives. Des had hoped that this conversation would come someday. She'd never wanted to be the wife that stayed home. She sat up, fully attentive at what her father was going to say, careful not to get her hopes so high up.

"What about the Dark Lord?"

"It pertains to the Dark Lord and your future."

"What about my future?"

"You've expressed interest in joining the legion… multiple times… a day. And I've come to my decision."

"And that decision is?"

"Let me finish please, Desdemona," her father said, "There are big things happening this year regarding the Dark Lord and he's going to need as many loyal followers as possible when he returns. The Malfoys are considering having Draco marked when he comes of age in two years… or even before he comes of age. Your mother and I have decided that, since you'll be coming of age in the very near future, there may be a slight possibility that you may be able to join the legion."

Desdemona's smile slowly got wider and wider with each word.

"Of course, someone would have to convince the Dark Lord to let another woman join. Cygnus Black had to pull very many strings to let Bellatrix Lestrange into the inner circle.

"But just being considered is the greatest honor I've ever been offered!"

"There is… one other thing," her mother added on.

Desdemona's smile faltered. She had a feeling that this wouldn't be good. They sweetened the deal with the good news so the bitterness of the bad news wouldn't be noticed.

"What…?"

Her parents looked at each other before turning back to her.

"There's something we've been needing to tell you for quite a while and, now that you're almost seventeen, we figured it was a good time to tell you."

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	3. Chapter 2: The Not So Good Reaction

**DISCLAIMER: HP ISN'T MINE.**

* * *

"So… you're adopted?" Anya Yaxley asked, lounging on her seat in their compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

"I guess that's what they meant, yeah," Des said quietly, playing with the ends of her dark hair as she lay down across the seat opposite Anya.

It was hard to forget the conversation she'd had with her "parents" that day.

* * *

_"There's something we've needed to tell you for quite a while now and, now that you're almost seventeen, we figured it was a good time to tell you."_

_Des looked nervously between her parent, worried about what was going to come out of their mouths next._

_"It's taken us a long time to decide just when and how we were going to tell you this…" her father began._

_Desdemona felt her stomach churn. What had taken them so long to say?_

_"Your birthday… may not be your actual birthday," her mother said slowly, as if decreasing the speed of her words would make this any easier to take in. "The day we celebrate your birthday is the day we found you."_

_"Found me?" Des asked, confused at the information._

_"The day you were left on our doorstep."_

_Left on the…_

_"Dmitri had just turned three the week before we found you. He was still receiving gifts and would answer the door every time to see if it was for him. One night, particularly late, the doorbell rang. Dmitri heard it and ran out of bed, rushing to answer. He came to our bedroom, holding you, and said someone had given him a baby."_

_Desdemona sat in complete and utter shock. She was never born into this family… that would explain why their love for Dmitri was so much greater than their love for her. Des stood, storming from the dining room, leaving her parents to sit silently at the table._

* * *

"It would explain why they so easily decided on letting you get marked," Anya said, "What did your brother say?"

"He didn't exactly own up to it, either. I don't think he ever thought I was going to know."

* * *

_Desdemona stormed into Dmitri's room, tears threatening to spill from her eyes._

_"Des… what–" _

_"You knew."_

_"What are you–"_

_"You knew and you never told me!" Des screamed, losing the battle as her tears spilled down her cheeks._

_"I don't know–"_

_"You found me on the doorstep! I wasn't even part of this family and you knew the whole time!" Des cried, her voice cracking. She'd never felt more betrayed. She'd trusted Dmitri more than anyone and he'd lied to her for her whole life. _

_He'd been quiet after that… and that's how Des knew she was right. He had known and it was obvious he wasn't planning on telling her the truth anytime soon. His silence was all the confession she needed before she turned on her heel and left his room, storming down the hall to hers and slamming the door behind her._

* * *

Des hadn't spoken to her parents or Dmitri for weeks after that, only eating in her room when the house elves brought her meals up. They were wise not to try and get her to talk because their efforts would have been pointless. It'd taken until September 1st for her to talk to any of them and the first word she had said to them in weeks had been 'goodbye.'

"You don't think you're being a bit too harsh about this?" Anya asked, "I mean, they did raise you. They could have left you outside or dumped you on someone else's doorstep that night. They didn't have to keep you."

"That isn't the point!" Des said, "The point is that they waited for so long!"

"Because they thought you were mature enough to handle news like that! Of course you're going to be upset but cut them some slack. They're you parents."

"No they're not."

"You know what I mean, Des."

It was silent in the compartment after that, Des refusing to speak any more of it. Of course Anya wouldn't know how she felt. She wasn't adopted.

"How would you feel if, all your life, you were treated second best and then your parents sat you down and told you that you had been found on a doorstep one night. Suddenly you're unsure of everything! Your name, your blood status, your heritage. For all I know, I could have been Muggleborn! And then you suddenly realized why you were second best all your life. Because you, really, are not part of that family. How would you feel?"

"I'd be pretty upset," Anya admitted in defeat.

"Exactly. You'd be upset. And the one person you trust the most in the whole world didn't bother to tell you any of this, either. How would you feel then?"

"I get it, Des, you're upset. It's going to take you a while to get over it. I. Get. It."

Anya refused to hear any more of it, heading out of the compartment to change into her school robes. Des took her time alone to change into hers, mulling over the conversation with Anya. She wouldn't get it. She'd never get it. She came from a long line of pureblooded witches and wizards, part of one of those families that trimmed every blemish off the family tree. She was sure of her heritage and where she came from.

"For fuck's sake, I'm going through an identity crisis," she mumbled to herself as she straightened her Slytherin tie. She had no idea where she had come from and it's not like she had any leads to go on. She finished dressing and Anya came back, the mood between them still tense as Des got over her sensitivity on the subject of her "adoption." She'd just have to keep it a secret while at school for her last year. No way was she going to let the fact that she was no real Dolohov spread around the Slytherins. Her house was ruthless and would never let her live it down.

"Come on then, Des," Anya said, getting up, "Don't want to miss the carriages do we?"

Des shook her head standing up and walking out of the compartment with Des to begin her last year at Hogwarts.

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